Trade Policy and Market Access
Burkina Faso has been a member of WTO since 1995. Burkina Faso’s average MFN applied tariff in 2012 was 11.9 per cent. Agricultural exports into the country face higher barriers (14.6 per cent) compared to non-agricultural exports (11.5 per cent). Burkina Faso has not concluded any plurilateral agreements under the aegis of the WTO, yet its participation in WTO is largely limited due to lack of capability and resources. At regional level, Burkina Faso is an active member of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), both of which are aimed to establish free movement of goods. One of its objectives is to promote trade within the WAEMU community by exempting certain import requirements for products of WAEMU origins. Half of the total trading value of Burkina Faso is conducted in an intra- community manner, and the government prioritizes export in sectors of cotton; livestock, meat, and hides and skins; shea nuts, sesame and mangoes; arts and crafts; and tourism. Moreover, being WAEMU member state, Burkina Faso has been applying the common external tariff (CET) since 2000, however a harmonizing framework for tariff bindings at community level is still in the preparatory phase. Burkina Faso is eligible for the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) program established by the US, and is currently negotiating for an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the EU under the framework of ECOWAS and WAEMU.
WTO, 2010, Trade
Policy Review (Benin, Burkina Faso and Mali – Burkina
Faso)
Standard Compliance and Other Relevant Import/Export Restrictions
Considering its compliance with Sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, Burkina Faso participate in the standard-setting organizations of Codex Alimentarius Commission, the World Organization for Animal Health and the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC). The Directorate of Plant Protection and Market Preparation (DPVC), within the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries (MAHRH), is responsible for phytosanitary safety and serves as the national enquiry point for the SPS Agreement. In recent years, the Government received technical and/or financial assistance to enhance the country’s SPS-related capacity from various donors. With regards to the technical barrier to trade (TBT) issue, the Standardization and Quality Promotion Bureau (FASONORM) is the national enquiry point on TBT and is working on standardization, quality, certification etc. So far, Burkina Faso has not issued any SPS or TBT notifications to the WTO.
WTO, 2010, Trade
Policy Review (Benin, Burkina Faso and Mali – Burkina
Faso)